Make a scrumptious bowl of noodle soup from scratch in a fraction of the time with my Simple Tonkotsu Ramen recipe. I’ll share my shortcuts for a wealthy, creamy, and intensely flavorful pork broth that tastes prefer it got here out of your favourite ramen store.
Tonkotsu ramen is among the hottest varieties of Japanese noodle soup, and for good purpose. Cooked-to-order noodles are nestled in a savory and creamy pork broth that’s so wealthy and satisfying. Whereas ramen outlets spend 1–2 days getting ready this dish, my Simple Tonkotsu Ramen recipe utilizing an Instantaneous Pot takes solely 3–4 hours! I’ll present you methods to cook dinner up a scrumptious bowl of home made tonkotsu ramen in a day.
In the event you love ramen, strive my Miso Ramen, Vegetarian Ramen, and Spicy Shoyu Ramen recipes subsequent!
What’s Tonkotsu Ramen?
Tonkotsu (豚骨, とんこつ) is a method of ramen noodle soup that originated in Fukuoka Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in western Japan. Tonkotsu ramen is famed for its intensely flavorful and meaty broth that’s derived from pork bones (ton means pork and kotsu means bones in Japanese). Historically, boiling the broth vigorously over excessive warmth for six to 12 hours creates a wealthy, milky tonkotsu soup. In my technique, I take advantage of a stress cooker to chop the broth time to simply 3 hours!
Why I Love This Recipe
- Bone broth in a fraction of the time – I cook dinner it below stress in an Instantaneous Pot to hurry the broth alongside. This hands-off hack extracts essentially the most taste from the pork bones within the shortest time.
- Wealthy, creamy, and savory – The seasoning sauce, pork broth, and hidden umami flavors emulsify right into a heavenly tonkotsu soup that my household craves.
- Restaurant high quality at house – I mix my made-from-scratch broth with store-bought contemporary ramen noodles for a ramen-shop expertise.
- Prep-ahead pleasant – I wish to make the broth and a few toppings forward of time for future meals. To serve, I simply prep the toppings, warmth the broth, and boil the ramen noodles. Simple!
Substances for Simple Tonkotsu Ramen
There are 5 major elements to this recipe—the tonkotsu broth, chilly brew dashi (Japanese soup inventory), shoyu tare (seasoning sauce), hidden seasonings (kakushiaji), and ramen noodles. Under are the components that you just’ll want.
- Contemporary ramen noodles – retailer purchased
- Pork leg bones – or pork backbones
- Pork hock with pores and skin – or pig’s foot (pork trotter)
- Kombu (dried kelp)
- Iriko/niboshi (boiled and dried anchovies)
- Katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)
- Dried shiitake mushrooms
- Garlic
- Contemporary ginger
- Onion
- Inexperienced onions/scallions
- Usukuchi (light-colored) soy sauce
- Rice vinegar (unseasoned)
- Sake
- Mirin
- Kosher salt
- Water
- Toppings of your alternative – I used conventional toppings like ramen eggs and chashu pork slices. See the Variations and Customizations part under for extra particulars.
Discover the printable recipe with measurements under.
What Are the Hidden Seasonings?
Hidden seasonings (kakushiaji, 隠し味) are added to ramen broth to reinforce the general depth, steadiness, and complexity of the flavour. Whereas they could not stand out on their very own, they play a strong position in making the broth richer, extra layered, and unforgettable.
- Onion – Provides pure sweetness and mellows the richness of the soup.
- Scallion – Cuts by means of the heaviness and helps masks any lingering odor.
- Katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) – Provides a layer of smoky umami and balances the pork base with a touch of fish taste.
- Sake – Neutralizes gamey smells and enhances umami within the broth.
- Vinegar – Helps take away the pork’s odor, brightens the flavour with out sourness, and cuts by means of the broth’s heaviness. Additionally, the vinegar’s acidity slowly softens and breaks down the bones as they cook dinner to let the marrow, collagen, and gelatin launch into the broth. This leads to a richer, thicker, and extra flavorful soup.
Substitutions
- Pork leg bones (picture under): Pork thigh bones (femur) and knuckles make a candy and flavorful broth, identical to in my Shoyu Ramen recipe from Bizentei in Tokyo. You could find them within the fridge part at H Mart or at a well-stocked butcher. You possibly can substitute pork backbones, that are particularly prized for producing a wealthy, savory broth faster than different pork bones.
- Pork hock with pores and skin (picture under): This lower comes from simply above the pig’s foot of both the entrance or rear legs. Pork hock contains bone, connective tissue, muscle meat, pores and skin, and fats so as to add richness and savoriness to the broth. Alternatively, you could possibly use pig’s foot (pig’s trotters).
- Usukuchi soy sauce: I extremely advocate utilizing this light-colored soy sauce. Please don’t use common soy sauce, as it’ll make the soup colour darker. We wish to showcase tonkotsu ramen’s milky and creamy look. In spite of everything, this isn’t shoyu ramen with a darkish brown soup.
- Contemporary ramen noodles: I strongly advocate contemporary noodles for the very best quality and texture. Japanese markets promote refrigerated packages of Myojo and Yamachan Ramen noodles, and a few massive Korean and Chinese language grocery shops may carry them. Solar Noodles makes nice noodles they usually ship domestically within the US! You would additionally use frozen, dry, or gluten-free ramen noodles.
- Iriko/niboshi: I take advantage of these boiled and dried Japanese anchovies so as to add savoriness with their daring style and powerful aroma. You could find it at Japanese and Korean grocery shops. Skip it should you can’t get it, however your Japanese dashi received’t have the identical depth of umami with out it.
- Mirin: For each 1 Tbsp mirin, strive my substitution of 1 Tbsp sake (or water) + 1 tsp sugar. The flavour isn’t the identical, nevertheless it’s shut.
Key Tools
- Instantaneous Pot or stress cooker – In the event you don’t have one, you should use a big inventory pot; see the recipe card under for directions.
How one can Make Simple Tonkotsu Ramen
Preparation
- Rinse and soak the pork bones and pork hock in chilly water.
- Within the Instantaneous Pot, carry the broth components as much as stress (takes 40 minutes), then cook dinner the tonkotsu broth components below excessive stress for 1 hour.
- In the meantime, begin the chilly brew dashi (Japanese soup inventory).
- Make the shoyu tare (soy sauce-flavored seasoning sauce).
Cooking
- After stress cooking, uncover the broth and boil over excessive warmth (Sauté mode) for half-hour. Skim the scum and foam.
- Add the hidden seasoning components and the dashi stable components. Convey it to a rolling boil.
- After half-hour, add the dashi liquid. Boil for half-hour extra and stir to mix the broth elements.
- Pressure the tonkotsu ramen broth.
Assemble
- Boil the ramen noodles to your required doneness. Add the shoyu tare in particular person bowls.
- Serve the noodles with sizzling broth. Add your toppings and serve instantly.
Nami’s Recipe Ideas
- Soak the pork bones in a number of modifications of water – This leaches out the blood from the bones. In the event you don’t clear it, it will possibly create extra particles within the broth. I soak them for quarter-hour, altering the water a number of occasions.
- Boil the broth on excessive warmth to emulsify the broth – The extraordinary boil helps break down the pork bones, melting the fats and collagen into the soup to make it wealthy and flavorful, with an opaque, creamy look.
- Weigh your salt – I like to recommend measuring with a kitchen scale for accuracy to keep away from oversalting. Remember the fact that several types of salt range in quantity by weight. I take advantage of Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and 25 grams comes out to about 3 tablespoons. Nonetheless, your 25 grams of salt might not equal 3 tablespoons relying on the model. At all times go by weight.
- Use warning when fast releasing the stress – To keep away from burning your hand with sizzling steam, use a protracted spatula to show the valve on the Instantaneous Pot or stress cooker. I additionally frivolously cowl the valve with a paper towel to cut back splatter.
- Skim the scum for a clear broth – Use fine-mesh skimmer to scoop up the scum and foam that floats to the floor throughout these 60 minutes of vigorously boiling the broth. Skimming commonly reduces disagreeable odors and retains the soup clear. Preserve the warmth excessive, as decreasing it will possibly trigger the scum to combine again into the soup. Strive to not take away an excessive amount of fats or bone marrow together with the scum. Additionally, don’t confuse blood clots with bone marrow; we must always take away blood clots.
- Use a mesh strainer for the ultimate broth – The mesh ought to be positive sufficient to catch all of the solids. This provides you with a smoother broth.
Variations and Customizations
Customise your tonkotsu ramen with the normal toppings of your alternative. Some toppings I put together home made a day or two upfront, whereas most others are simple to buy at a Japanese market.
What to Serve with Simple Tonkotsu Ramen
In Japan, we frequently order ramen as a part of a set meal (teishoku) with basic facet dishes. Under are a few of my favourite recipes to serve with tonkotsu ramen.
- Karaage – This Japanese fried rooster is a basic accompaniment to ramen!
- Gyoza – Crispy on the surface and juicy inside, scrumptious Japanese potstickers are a ramen store staple.
- Inexperienced salad – Drizzle on my Carrot Ginger Dressing that tastes identical to Japanese restaurant model.
- Takoyaki – These grilled octopus balls are a scrumptious appetizer or facet dish.
Storage Ideas
To retailer: You possibly can preserve the leftovers in separate containers and retailer them within the fridge for as much as 3 days or within the freezer for 1 month. Boil the noodles proper earlier than serving.
For the Chilly Brew Dashi (Japanese Soup Inventory)
For the Shoyu Tare (Seasoning Sauce)
For the Hidden Seasonings
Stop your display screen from going darkish
To Stress Prepare dinner the Tonkotsu Broth
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Collect all of the tonkotsu broth components.
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Rinse 3½ lb pork leg bones and 1.3 lb pork hock with pores and skin below working water.
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Soak the pork bones and hock in a big bowl of water for quarter-hour to take away blood, altering the water a number of occasions. Nami’s Tip: In the event you’re utilizing pork backbones, take away the white spinal cord-like tissue, because it may give off a robust odor. Use chopsticks as a substitute of your palms to keep away from getting lower by the bones.
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In the meantime, peel off the papery outer layers of 1 head garlic (protecting the pinnacle complete). Trim off and discard the foundation finish. Then, slice all the head in half crosswise to reveal the cloves.
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Slice 1 knob ginger (pores and skin on) into skinny slices.
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Place the bones, hock, ginger, garlic, and 2 QT water in a stress cooker pot or within the internal pot of an Instantaneous Pot.
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Preserve the water degree at or under the utmost line (see picture). If yours is above the road, take away some water and preserve it apart for now, then add it again when boiling the broth later. Now, cowl and lock the lid. Level the steam launch deal with at Sealing and never Venting. Choose the Stress Cooking mode. Set the cooking time to 60 minutes and choose Excessive stress. Then, press Begin. It‘ll take about 40 minutes to succeed in full stress.You could have 100 minutes. So, let’s put together the remainder of the components.
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No Stress Cooker? Use a big inventory pot. Add 2 cups (500 ml) extra water and simmer the components uncovered for 3–4 hours. You may as well partially cowl it to cut back evaporation. The longer you simmer it, the extra taste you may extract from the bones.
To Chilly Brew the Dashi
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Collect all of the dashi (Japanese soup inventory) components.
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Add 1 piece kombu (dried kelp), 2 dried shiitake mushrooms, and 5 iriko/niboshi (boiled and dried anchovies) to 2 cups water to a medium bowl (I used a glass measuring cup). Set it apart at room temperature to extract the umami.
To Make the Shoyu Tare (Seasoning Sauce)
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Collect all of the tare components.
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Add 2 Tbsp sake, 2 Tbsp mirin, 4 Tbsp usukuchi (light-colored) soy sauce, and 2 Tbsp water to a small pot.
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Add 1 piece kombu (dried kelp) and warmth over medium warmth till practically boiling. Scale back to low warmth and simmer for 3–4 minutes, then flip off the warmth.
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Add 25 g Diamond Crystal kosher salt to the pot and stir effectively. As soon as the salt has dissolved, let the tare cool to room temperature. Nami’s Tip: In the event you boil the tare after including the salt, the salt might crystallize and never dissolve correctly, so watch out.
To Put together the Hidden Seasonings
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Collect the components for the hidden seasonings. Nami’s Tip: Their refined flavors assist to deepen the style of the tonkotsu broth.
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Minimize 1 onion in half with the pores and skin on and 2 inexperienced onions/scallions in half crosswise. Put aside till the broth is finished stress cooking.
To Skim the Broth
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Instantly after the stress cooking cycle ends, fast launch the stress by rigorously turning the steam launch valve with a protracted spatula to the Venting place (or by urgent the fast launch button, relying in your mannequin). Nami’s Tip: Use a protracted spatula to show the valve to keep away from burning your hand with the recent steam, and frivolously cowl the valve with a paper towel to cut back splatter.
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Rigorously open the lid. For the Instantaneous Pot, choose the Sauté mode (half-hour) and excessive temperature. For a daily stress cooker or inventory pot, set the pot on the range over excessive warmth. Nami’s Tip: As a result of the soup might splash throughout this step, you possibly can switch it to a bigger pot if wanted.Skim off the scum that floats to the floor of the broth with a fine-mesh skimmer. You will proceed to do that over the subsequent hour. Nami’s Tip: Watch out to not take away an excessive amount of fats or bone marrow together with it, because the rendered fats is important to a flavorful tonkotsu broth.
To Add the Hidden Seasonings
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Add the onion and inexperienced onions/scallions to the tonkotsu broth.
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Add 2 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned) and 2 Tbsp sake. Now, rigorously take away the shiitake mushrooms and anchovies which can be soaking within the chilly brew dashi and add them to the soup broth. Reserve the dashi liquid (we’ll add it later).
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Add 1 cup katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) to the soup and stir effectively to mix.
To End Cooking the Tonkotsu Broth
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Preserve the soup broth at a rolling boil on Sauté mode (excessive). Skim the broth often.
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Preserve the warmth excessive to make sure the correct extraction of taste. As a result of the soup splashes simply, stir it commonly to calm the effervescent or place a mesh splatter guard on high. (With the Instantaneous Pot, be aware that the soup might splash into the hole between the outer and internal pots.) As soon as the soup barely reduces after half-hour of boiling, pour solely the dashi liquid into the pot; don’t add the kombu.
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Then, reset the Instantaneous Pot to cook dinner on Sauté mode (excessive) for one other half-hour, stirring often to assist emulsify the soup.
To Pressure the Broth (Closing Step)
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After a complete of 1 hour of boiling the broth, flip off the Sauté mode (or flip off the warmth on the range). Choose up the large bones utilizing tongs and switch to a mesh strainer set over a clear medium pot. Let the soup broth drain into the pot, then discard the bones.
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Subsequent, take away the opposite solids from the soup utilizing tongs, then switch them to the strainer over the pot. Pressure and press the solids with a wood spatula to squeeze out as a lot liquid as potential and discard them.
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Subsequent, begin straining the soup broth from the stress cooker. First, pour a small quantity of soup into the strainer and let it drain into the medium pot. Press the solids with the wood spatula. Nami’s Tip: It is more durable to pour lots of liquid directly and pressure it, so work with a bit little bit of soup at a time.
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Proceed straining the soup, little by little. Take away the strainer while you’re performed. Now, your tonkotsu broth is able to use. Warmth up the broth should you’re able to eat ramen or retailer it for an additional day.
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To Retailer the Tonkotsu Broth for Later: In the event you’re not utilizing the tonkotsu soup broth on the identical day, cool it shortly to room temperature by setting the pot in an ice bathtub or chilly water. Switch the cooled broth to an hermetic container and retailer it within the fridge for as much as 3 days or within the freezer for 1 month. Be further cautious throughout summertime, because the soup can spoil shortly.
To Put together the Tonkotsu Ramen
To Serve
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Shortly add your toppings and serve instantly—the noodles will take in the soup if left too lengthy. I added 2 inexperienced onions/scallions that I thinly sliced, 4 Ramen Eggs (Ajitsuke Tamago) lower in half, 8 slices Do-it-yourself Chashu (Japanese Braised Pork Stomach), menma (seasoned bamboo shoots), dried wooden ear mushrooms that I rehydrated and thinly sliced, and 1 Tbsp pickled pink ginger (beni shoga or kizami beni shoga).
